The Bright Heart
by Butterfly Kitty
Summary: The Bright Heart is based off a drawing I made on Chicken Smoothie. It shows the love triangle - Cloudtail torn over Brightheart and Daisy. Rated T for fighting and blood. Oneshot.


**The Bright Heart is based off a drawing I made on Chicken Smoothie. It shows the love triangle - Cloudtail torn over Brightheart and Daisy.**

Brightheart looked enviously at Daisy - she was hogging the attention from Cloudtail. AND she squealed at the sight of her face, which had been attacked by dogs moons before. It made her want to cry. **(A/N in my fic, cats CAN cry and shed ACTUAL tears)**

Brightheart saw Cloudtail's fluffy tail graze Daisy's cheek as he and Daisy watched Berrykit, Hazelkit, and Mousekit play leader, deputy, and medicine cat. From the look of it, Berrykit was leader (no surprise there), Mousekit was deputy, and Hazelkit was medicine cat.

"Yes, Mouseclaw and Hazelfang? You wanted to see me?" Berrykit(star) puffed out his chest fur.

"Berrystar, Hazelfang's had an... an... Mommy, what'dda call a sign from that place above..." Mousekit(claw) turned to his mother.

"StarClan," Cloudtail corrected.

"Yeah, StarClan. What'dda call a sign from StarClan?" Mousekit(claw) asked again.

"Prophecy? Or Omen?" Cloudtail tried.

"Yeah, Berryk.. I mean, Berry_star, _Hazelfang's had an OMEN," Mousekit said. Brightheart turned away in utter disgust, a single tear **(like I said, this is my fic, and in it cats cry REAL ACTUAL tears) **rolling down from her good eye to her cheek and falling, soaking into the soft, wet mud. Brightheart slowly padded to the medicine den, which seemed so empty now that Leafpaw - no, Leaf_pool_ - had left.

"Cinderpelt?" Brightheart called into the den. She was answered by a cat trudging outside, limping in pain.

"What happened?" Brightheart asked.

"Thorn in my pad," the cat (who Brightheart reconized to be Sootfur) meowed, not looking up. Brightheart walked into the medicine cat den, to see Cinderpelt carefully licking a polituce onto her brother Brackenfur's shoulder. It had a gash in it.

"What's wrong?" Brightheart asked dully.

"Brackenfur found a badger on our territory, but it couldn't fight much, because it had kits," Rainwhisker said from across the den - Brightheart saw he had several cobwebs running up and down his leg. "What's wrong with you? You seem out of it."

"Erm... nothing..." Brightheart stammered. Except for the fact that Cloudtail had forgotton about her!

"Kay sis, cuz you really are distracted these days!" Brackenfur said, wincing as Cinderpelt pressed cobwebs on his shoulder.

"Shut up!" Brightheart snapped. Brackenfur winced, but decided to be quiet.

"Brightheart? You wanted to talk to me?" Cinderpelt said as the toms left.

"Uhm... yes. Do you need any herbs to be collected?"

"I think not. What did you need besides that? Jealous of..." Cinderpelt's eyes flickered with sympathy "Daisy?"

"Wha... how did... but I thought..." Brightheart shook her head. "No, I am not jealous of that stupid, attention-hogging, wimpy, repulsive..."

"...kittypet Daisy? Cloudtail is crooning over her," Cinderpelt touched her nose to Brightheart's. "Just because I'm a medicine cat doesn't mean..." her voice trailed off as a loud screech, followed by many other screams, split the air. Cinderpelt and Brightheart ran outside to find a bunch of badgers lumbering into the camp!

"Cinderpelt! Get the elders and queens! Get them up the ledge! Now!" Brambleclaw's frantic voice called out before a badger came and swept him in a fight. Cinderpelt ran to the elders den to see Mousefur guiding Longtail out. And Brightheart was left alone. Again. But not for long. A big, black and white badger clawed her side. It reared and tried a blow on her head. Brightheart dodged. She leapt onto it's back and clawed, this was one of the badgers she had met with before.

"Miss me?" she taunted. It reared and bucked, sending Brightheart flying through the air. She landed with a _thud! _and the badger tried to finish her off. But Brightheart wasn't fooled. Just as the badger was about to crush her body, she sunk her claws into it's skin. It yowled furiously and got up slowly. Brightheart was swift. She grabbed it's leg and held, and suddenly the image of Swiftpaw's black and white body flashed through her mind. He meowed something in an echoic voice, and Brightheart could just make out "be swift... be fearless... the crow and the leaf will come back." She had survived dogs, and, well, got her face cut in half during the process. Couldn't she survive a stampede of badgers?

A familiar voice cried out in the camp - and something told Brightheart that... Leafpool was back! And she brought Crowfeather! The crow and the leaf indeed did come back - but Brightheart could only think about that for about a millisecond. The badger had her pinned down. She may've been an easy target while lost in thought. The badger brought down it's claws - Brightheart rolled away just in time. She grabbed onto it's flank and ripped some fur off. For a minute she glanced over to see Swiftpaw's starry figure fighting beside her, his face and side bloody. And the badgers... turned to dogs! Her surroundings changed from the new ThunderClan camp to the forest - the exact place she was attacked.

_Brightheart swirled around in fear. Swiftpaw... beside her... dogs... attacking... Whitestorm, Runningwind... Brackenfur... Longtail... here... driving off dogs..._

_"Brightheart! Brightheart!" Swiftpaw called._

_"Swiftpaw, the dogs!" Brightheart cried back "and I'm Bright_paw_!"_

_"There are no dogs, stupid, only badgers!" Swiftpaw said._

_"Uh..."_

_"BRIGHTHEART!"_

"Brightheart... Brightheart..." A paw shook Brightheart rapidly. She opened her eyes groggily.

"Swiftpaw... We must..." she stammered.

"Brightheart's alive!" the voice said. Brightheart looked up. It was Cloudtail. Suddenly she remembered; badgers, attacking, ThunderClan, queens, elders, kits, unsafe, warriors, killed, hurt. She jumped up. She was in a den. What den?

Looking around, she saw she was in the Medicine Cat Den. She padded out. Badger and cat fur was everywhere! Only one badger remained. She charged at that one, only to be held back by Squirrelflight.

"Wha...?" she squeaked.

"Brightheart, this is Midnight, the badger who told us to come here," Brambleclaw said.

"Oh, okay."

Cloudtail swept his tail, gesturing for Brightheart to follow. As soon as they were at the edge of camp, Brightheart turned to face him.

"Cloudtail," she said "what do you think... of Daisy?"

"I know you know I think she's beautiful. But there's only one bright heart, and that's you!"

"I thought you loved Daisy more... than me?"

"Like I said, your the only bright heart for me. Your spirit shines brighter than the rest. Your love is mine forever. I promise."

"Promise?"

"Of course, my beautiful bright heart."

"Cloudtail," she said slowly.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

**D'Aww... this was a lot of fun to write. Please review, the button's right there!**


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